"Soren?! Sweetheart… up!"
"M'am, we've got…"
"He seems to be stabilizing…"
"How is…"
"You little shit, we thought you were dead!"
Go away, dammit! I'm trying to sleep!
"It shouldn't be much…"
What's with all the damn noise?! Aren't I still on the ship?
"Agh, damn, what happened…?" Soren was deeply confused. Was he in some type of dream…?
"Shit looks pretty real to me…" And what was it with him waking up in medical beds? Was that something that he should be-
Wait. This place actually looked familiar.
"Isn't this…!" Hopping from the bed, Soren didn't bother with the tubes injected into him, simply dragging them along as he went to a nearby window.
Parting the blinds with far too much force, the sight nearly brought a tear to his eye.
"How in the hell am I back…? Was it all a dream?" Channeling his mana, Soren tried to retrieve his weapon from the void.
Sure enough, his halberd appeared in his hand, as strong as ever, save for the dents in its blade.
'How did I survive that fight? And more importantly, how am I back?' He was half tempted to just run outside and kiss the ground. It wasn't like he'd been on the ship for THAT long, but it was long enough to have him more than a bit homesick.
"Shit, I've probably missed a ton of school…" He was trying his best not to think about his family, as he wasn't certain he wouldn't just start sobbing right then and there. He was by no means an emotionally fortified person.
With a thought, he sent his halberd back to the void. That'd be a little hard to explain to anyone that walked in... It wasn't like his family was fortunate enough to have storage rings.
A moment later, a young looking nurse opened the door, her eyes focused intently on her clipboard.
"Let's see, patient is Soren Ravenheart…" She spoke absentmindedly, likely just doing a routine check-up.
As she looked up from her clipboard and towards the bed that he should've been on, she nearly panicked, almost pressing the emergency button on her coat.
"Ah, sorry about that. Over here." He waved, as if he wasn't supposed to be laid out. Now that he thought about it, his ribs felt a bit tight, and his legs…
"Shit!" He nearly fell over as he caught himself on the bed.
The nurse rushed over, supporting him. "Are you okay? You shouldn't be standing so soon. Your accident was only a couple of days ago. Do you need anything?" She spoke, clear concern in her tone.
"No, no," He brushed her off, giving her a wry smile as he stood, "I just slipped a little, no biggy."
"Young man, you fell through the building of the police department. What, did you slip out of an airplane?" She said, perplexed by how he tried to brush it off.
"I fell through- Wait, what?! Alright, listen, honestly, I'm fine. Is my mom or sister nearby?" He said, as he began the grueling process of gathering the shards of bone that was in his body, slowly mending his cracked ribs, while also connecting the fractures in his arms and legs.
"Ah, Ms. Ravenheart and Miss Odetta. They just left a couple of hours ago. They couldn't stay here watching over you much longer, they said. Although, the police may be coming soon to question you about your disappearance."
Ah, that's right. He was literally kidnapped. He hadn't thought much about how they'd question him if he ever returned…
Welp, he'd have to figure something out in the moment.
"So, do you think I could get discharged?" He asked, not much hope in that happening.
"Well, that decision isn't really up to me, but it isn't like I could stop you from walking out. Also, what was with that bodysuit you were wearing? Apparently it was on you when you fell through the police department. The doctor in charge of you said you probably would've died if it wasn't for it."
"Shit, where is it?" He panicked. If they'd taken it, there would be no telling if he'd get it back. The effects it gave were well worth it, even for Savior's well above him in rank.
"Well, the police tried to 'confiscate' it, but your mother said they had no right, as it was your property, and they had no warrants in the first place. It's not like you're a suspect. Well, actually, what happened to you? Everyone in the district assumed an Aitherian had captured you, but that couldn't be true now that you've managed to turn up." The nurse seemed a bit too invested in knowing about what happened.
He didn't particularly feel like talking about it, especially not to some stranger. "Ah, yeah, I don't really know. One moment I was at school, the next I woke up in this bed. I couldn't tell you what happened. Maybe I was probed, ha…" Dammit, he had to get out of here…
"Anyway, where's my bodysuit?" He questioned before she could pester him any further.
"Ah, it should be at the front desk. It was the only thing they found on you." She explained, but Soren didn't bother waiting around, yanking out the needles from his arms, tripping forward as he walked towards the door.
His legs weren't fully healed yet.
"Yup, appreciate the information. I'll be heading home now. If the police come, I guess you can tell them I went home." He didn't wait around, he simply walked down the sterile hallway in his hospital gown.
It was an odd feeling having practically everything except for your ass covered.
Regardless, he walked down the hallway with gusto. He was having flashbacks to the seemingly endless hallway from the ship…
Reaching reception, Soren gave the lady his name. As she handed him a bag with his body suit, she seemed to notice that he wasn't listed as discharged in the system.
"Um, sir, wa-" She tried to speak, but with the bag in his hands, Soren was already walking out of the automatic front doors.
"Yeah, thanks for your service and all that. I'll give you five stars!" He yelled over his shoulder as he saw the familiar sights of his district.
Taking in a deep breath, Soren couldn't believe how good it felt to take a breath of fresh air.
At some point when he was farming the dwellers, he had given up trying to suppress the smell, as it was slowly eating up his mana, so he had gotten the full brunt of the stench of blood, guts, matted fur, and rotten limbs.
The memory sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't even want to think about that Aitherian…
How in the world did he survive that…?
Pushing the thought aside before he could dwell on it too long, he found an alleyway nearby. Peeking down it and making sure no one was there, he slipped in, opening the bag in his hands.
The sight of the bodysuit gave him an odd feeling. Although it was a creation of the Aitherian Empire, it was basically the sole reason he was able to keep up with the second Aitherian he'd gone up against.
The boost in strength it gave was why his arms weren't bent back the other direction when he blocked their strikes. Not like he could capitalize on it much at the time, as they were moving far faster than he could prepare for while blocking.
Still, it was a strong piece of equipment that he wanted to last for as long as possible.
And it wasn't like he had anything else to wear. The Aitherian's had taken his clothes when they took him.
Slipping out of the hospital gown, Soren was a bit confused on how to put the suit on. It didn't have any openings except for the neck hole.
As he thought that, he got a system prompt.
[Equip {Unknown}, full body armor?]
Mentally giving his affirmation, it was barely a moment later before the armor disappeared from his hands, now wrapped snugly around his body.
He'd grown quite accustomed to it over the short time he had it, so he couldn't help but feel a bit more comfortable.
Leaving the alleyway, Soren dumped the bag and gown in a trash bin as he walked down the sidewalk.
He only had one destination in mind.
Growing up, Soren had been sick quite often, and his mother, still not over the fear of the Aitherians having invaded, was very much paranoid.
So, he was very familiar with this hospital. It was the only one in the entirety of the Seattle district. Not that the district was by any means large.
All that to say, he knew the path back home like the back of his hand. In recent years, he wasn't sick quite as much, but he still never forgot how to get back.
The walk had barely taken him any time. He was honestly VERY nervous. Now that he thought about it, he never bothered asking the nurse how long he'd been missing for…
That would've been good to know…
Welp, too late, he was already standing before the stairs leading to his porch.
He felt like he had learned a lot about himself with his time spent on the ship. Like he'd finally found his identity.
As hard as he tried, he couldn't forget the feeling of pure elation he felt when he fought the Aitherian.
He doubted he'd ever be able to forget that…
Walking forward, each step felt as heavy as the strike of steel against steel.
The feeling he got as he walked up the small set of stairs was indescribable. It was like he was returning to a world he wasn't familiar with anymore.
Over that short period of time spent up there, it was likely he had truly lived. But then again, was it worth leaving his family behind?
He felt he should have been pretty firm on no, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder what he was truly capable of.
By now, his wounds were healed, so he had no difficulty walking up to the door, and knocking. Softly at first, but then a bit firmer.
"Dammit," A voice came from somewhere in the house. If he had to guess, then likely the kitchen.
"Right as I'm about to go to work…" That was definitely his mom's voice.
He heard as she moved towards the door, the knob twisting not long after, the door swinging open unceremoniously.
"Hello? Is there something-" Silence. Then tears. Then warmth.
The feeling of his mother's arms wrapped around him was far more comforting than he was prepared for. He had wanted to say something, but he was just as stunned for words as she was when the door opened.
"Long time no see, huh?" He said, his words muffled by her shoulder as he also let out some tears of his own. He couldn't help but make a joke, it was his only defensive mechanism. He hated it, mostly because he wasn't very funny.
But right now, he didn't care too much about that as he held her a bit closer. She still hadn't said a word, her tears drenching his hair, rolling off his bodysuit like oil to water.
"Where's Odi?" He had to break the silence, having to use quite a bit of force to break free from the hug, making the tears staining his cheeks evaporate with {Atomic Manipulation} before she could see him.
"A-ah, she should still be in her room…" She was definitely still in shock.
Closing the door behind him, Soren led her to the couch, sitting her down. "Stay here for a second, I'll go get her." He said, making sure she was alright before walking down the short hallway.
Walking past the closed door of his room, Soren felt a pang of longing. He didn't envy his old self, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss some aspects.
A couple of steps further, and he was right before his older sister's bedroom door. Him and his sister may not have shown it outwardly, but they loved each other very much.
He had looked up to her a lot when he was growing up, and he still did to this day.
During times where he really felt like he didn't have many people to comfort him, she'd always be around, showing how she cared in her own unique way.
They didn't seem very close from an outside perspective, but Soren was more than certain that she'd listen to anything he had to say.
Knocking on her door, he heard movement behind the door, before it swung open, revealing the slightly disheveled look of his older sister.
"Heh, guess you could say you missed me. Ha, get it? Like missed-" Just like their mother, she had already pulled him into a hug.
A hug with a lot more strength than he anticipated. "Woah, have you been working out?"
He couldn't help but crack a smile. It wasn't often that she showed such affection. His mom told him she had changed a lot after their father died, so it was nice to see.
"What the hell happened to you?!" She said, a bit of anger mixed in with her curiosity.
"No clue. I just got out of the hospital. How long have I been gone?" He lied, but that was better than trying to explain all the crazy shit that happened.
"2 fucking months, dude! We all thought you were dead!" She yelled out.
"2 months?!" He repeated, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.
How time flies when one is having fun, huh?